Related: Fungal meningitis patient's sickness started with a
cure
The discovery of new cases in the fungal meningitis outbreak has slowed in Virginia, prompting state health officials to change the way they monitor those at risk for becoming ill.
This week, health officials will begin to reign in surveillance efforts aimed at identifying new cases in the outbreak, which was tied to tainted steroid injections and has killed 36 and sickened hundreds in 19 states. The change comes as data collected by the Virginia Department of Health show a 20-day average incubation period from when a person received the steroid injection and first developed symptoms of the fungal infection.
"We do expect that there may be additional cases, but in much smaller numbers and with a decreasing frequency," said Dr. David Trump, state epidemiologist for the health department. "Hopefully, everyone who was exposed knows what to look for and won't hesitate to seek medical attention."
In Virginia, only about 13 percent of people who received one of the recalled shots blamed in the outbreak developed a fungal infection.
But early in the outbreak, before officials knew the likelihood of developing an infection after receiving one of the shots, the state decided to take the rare — and time-intensive — step of calling anyone at risk of becoming ill.
Since October, health department nurses have made weekly calls to everyone who received one of the shots but had not yet had a lumbar puncture to test for meningitis.
In the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts, the process involved assigning about 25 employees to call about 260 people, said Dr. Stephanie Harper, director of the two districts.
"We directed a lot of resources to getting it done," she said. "It's manpower intensive."
The department also made home visits and sent certified letters to ensure that no person was missed, she said.
Many of those on the original list ended up being referred to the emergency rooms at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and LewisGale Medical Center for lumbar punctures, Harper said.
This week will mark the last time Harper's nurses make the weekly calls, she said. After that, her staff will be available to answer questions, but they will not actively check in with people, she said.
The decision follows the recommendation from Trump that the surveillance is no longer necessary, although he has left the ultimate decision up to the various health district directors in Southwest Virginia who have been coordinating the efforts.
So, for instance, the outreach will continue until Dec. 23 to the 94 affected people living in the New River Valley Health District, said Dr. Molly O'Dell, director of that district.
"We're considering going to once a month for three months after that," she said. "But we haven't decided."
Virginia identified 680 people who received a contaminated injection made by New England Compounding Center at one of two outpatient clinics in Southwest Virginia. In Virginia, most people received the shot at Insight Imaging in Roanoke, but 27 were exposed after getting an injection at New River Valley Surgery Center in Montgomery County.
O'Dell said none of the 51 cases identified in Virginia so far have involved patients who got the shot at the New River center.
The vast majority of people who developed meningitis began to have symptoms between the end of September and the middle of October, Trump said.
Source found here
The discovery of new cases in the fungal meningitis outbreak has slowed in Virginia, prompting state health officials to change the way they monitor those at risk for becoming ill.
This week, health officials will begin to reign in surveillance efforts aimed at identifying new cases in the outbreak, which was tied to tainted steroid injections and has killed 36 and sickened hundreds in 19 states. The change comes as data collected by the Virginia Department of Health show a 20-day average incubation period from when a person received the steroid injection and first developed symptoms of the fungal infection.
"We do expect that there may be additional cases, but in much smaller numbers and with a decreasing frequency," said Dr. David Trump, state epidemiologist for the health department. "Hopefully, everyone who was exposed knows what to look for and won't hesitate to seek medical attention."
In Virginia, only about 13 percent of people who received one of the recalled shots blamed in the outbreak developed a fungal infection.
But early in the outbreak, before officials knew the likelihood of developing an infection after receiving one of the shots, the state decided to take the rare — and time-intensive — step of calling anyone at risk of becoming ill.
Since October, health department nurses have made weekly calls to everyone who received one of the shots but had not yet had a lumbar puncture to test for meningitis.
In the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts, the process involved assigning about 25 employees to call about 260 people, said Dr. Stephanie Harper, director of the two districts.
"We directed a lot of resources to getting it done," she said. "It's manpower intensive."
The department also made home visits and sent certified letters to ensure that no person was missed, she said.
Many of those on the original list ended up being referred to the emergency rooms at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and LewisGale Medical Center for lumbar punctures, Harper said.
This week will mark the last time Harper's nurses make the weekly calls, she said. After that, her staff will be available to answer questions, but they will not actively check in with people, she said.
The decision follows the recommendation from Trump that the surveillance is no longer necessary, although he has left the ultimate decision up to the various health district directors in Southwest Virginia who have been coordinating the efforts.
So, for instance, the outreach will continue until Dec. 23 to the 94 affected people living in the New River Valley Health District, said Dr. Molly O'Dell, director of that district.
"We're considering going to once a month for three months after that," she said. "But we haven't decided."
Virginia identified 680 people who received a contaminated injection made by New England Compounding Center at one of two outpatient clinics in Southwest Virginia. In Virginia, most people received the shot at Insight Imaging in Roanoke, but 27 were exposed after getting an injection at New River Valley Surgery Center in Montgomery County.
O'Dell said none of the 51 cases identified in Virginia so far have involved patients who got the shot at the New River center.
The vast majority of people who developed meningitis began to have symptoms between the end of September and the middle of October, Trump said.
Source found here
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